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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22626028">Cornered</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins'>honestgrins</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [133]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Vampire Diaries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aftermath, All Human, F/M, Workplace Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 00:47:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>561</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22626028</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous asked: prompt: Klaroline as colleagues. always arguing with each other but there's an underlying tension. after a company event, they give in to the attraction between them. now, caroline's doing everything she can to avoid klaus at work. until he corners her to talk about what happened. so much for things not being awkward.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [133]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>45</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Cornered</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh, no,” she whispered into her wine glass, quickly turning toward the wall in hopes he wouldn’t notice her. It was a crowded party, not helped by the fact the new home they were celebrating was a bit tight on space. Luckily for her, Enzo took a ton of pictures and Bonnie had hung a museum’s worth of them. If she carefully looked through all of them, maybe <em>he</em> would pass right by her without noticing - except for the beeline the guy next to him seemed to be making right to her.</p>
<p>“Hello, darling.” Releasing the last bit of hope she held, Caroline took a fortifying drink and shook his hand. “Nik refuses to make an introduction, so I’m left to introduce myself. Kol Mikaelson,” he said, pulling the hand he still held up to her lips.</p>
<p>Snatching her hand back, she couldn’t stop her eyes from searching out Klaus, who grimaced upon finding them together. “Caroline,” she answered uncertainly. “I assume you’re one of the many siblings.”</p>
<p>Kol winked, which made Klaus’s jaw tighten. “The only one worth knowing, sweet Caroline. Meanwhile, I know nothing of you. All Nik will tell me is that you work together, but you two don’t act like colleagues happening upon each other in the wild. No, I sense a secret.”</p>
<p>“Kol,” Klaus warned. </p>
<p>She smiled icily. “I’m an old friend of Bonnie’s, but she’s never mentioned either of you. How do you know Enzo?”</p>
<p>“College roommate and one-time lover,” Kol answered easily. “How <em>well</em> do you know my brother?”</p>
<p>Clapping a hand on his shoulder, Klaus forcibly pulled him away. “Go bother Enzo, you’ll no doubt interrogate me later. Leave Caroline out of it.”</p>
<p>“Fine, fine. For now.” It sure sounded like a threat, and they both breathed a little easier when Kol slipped away.</p>
<p>“Sorry about him,” Klaus said, his ears flushed red. “I’d say he grows on you, but I’ve yet to find that to be true.”</p>
<p>She couldn’t help a laugh, though she missed their easy banter from <em>before</em>; there was a thick layer of discomfort between them that she knew was mostly her fault. “I’m sure he and Enzo were terrors in college. And now.” Biting her lip, she hated the way he wouldn’t meet her eyes. “Listen, about the-”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to, sweethe- You don’t have to. Message received.”</p>
<p>Sighing, she wished they had a little more privacy. “I don’t sleep with coworkers. Ever. I’m out of my depth, and the possibility of losing you because of it scared the hell out of me. So, yes, I avoided you a bit.”</p>
<p>Klaus lifted his eyebrows. </p>
<p>“Fine,” she groaned, “I avoided you completely after what might be the best night of my life. You happy?”</p>
<p>His expression softened, but only slightly. “I suppose that depends.”</p>
<p>“On?”</p>
<p>Softening further, Klaus leaned in toward her. “On you. On what you want from me.”</p>
<p>With a leap of faith and more than a little hope, she glanced shyly down to her empty glass. “I could use another drink? Maybe we skip out and find a bar, first round’s on me.”</p>
<p>He canted his head, leaving her hanging for a solid ten seconds before he smiled. “Sounds perfect, sweetheart. I’ll distract Kol while you say your goodbyes.”</p>
<p>“God, you’re perfect,” she muttered to herself, wincing when his face turned smug. “Annoyingly so.”</p>
<p>“Noted.”</p>
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